Meaning

1 senses

  1. (idiomatic)To work studiously, especially late into the night.

    Near-synonym: pull an all-nighter

    He was burning the midnight oil to finish his paper.

    bis spät in die Nacht arbeiten, die Nacht zum Tage machen

    полуно́чничатьpolunóčničatʹ, засиж́иватьсяzasiž́ivatʹsja

Examples

9 sentences

  1. I'll burn the midnight oil tonight.

    deIch werde heute eine Nachtsitzung einlegen. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

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  2. This heating system burns oil.

    deDieses Heizsystem verbrennt Öl. — Tamy

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  3. I burned myself with hot oil.

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  4. I have to burn the midnight oil tonight.

    ruСегодня ночью мне придётся работать допоздна. — odexed

    deIch muss heute eine Nachtschicht einlegen. — Wolf

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  5. Looks like I might have to burn the midnight oil tonight.

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Translations

7 languages
Русский
By meaning 1
work through the night:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
work through the night:

Origin

Originally referring to the act of burning lamp oil in oil lamps for light at night. The c

Originally referring to the act of burning lamp oil in oil lamps for light at night. The collocation midnight oil in its literal sense is attested from mid 17th c.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

burns the midnight oil, burning the midnight oil, burned the midnight oil, burned the midnight oil
Base formburn the midnight oil · to burn the midnight oil
3rd person singularburns the midnight oil
Present participleburning the midnight oil
Past simpleburned the midnight oil / burnt the midnight oil
Past participleburned the midnight oil / burnt the midnight oil

irregular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyburn the midnight oil
he, she, itburns the midnight oil

Past simpleLesson

all personsburned the midnight oil

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave burned the midnight oil
he, she, ithas burned the midnight oil

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill burn the midnight oil

Synonyms

2 synonyms
elucubratepull an all-nighter

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
burlesqueburnA2burnableburnerburningB1
burn the midnight oil — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto